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For too long the study of international systems has been parochially European or anecdotal. More than any other recent book, Before Colonization transcends these limits in presenting the big picture of international politics in genuinely global terms. Thanks to Butcher and Griffiths's inspiring scholarship, we can now much better see the wood for the trees in understanding the broad sweep of interactions among war, state formation, and system transformation before the mass extinction of non-Western polities occasioned by European imperialism. -- J. C. Sharman, Sir Patrick Sheehy Professor of International Relations, University of Cambridge Before Colonization is one of the most exciting IR books in recent memory. Butcher and Griffiths significantly expand the field’s historical imagination by rethinking the state to properly include non-Western examples. They also manage the very difficult task of building a dataset with a degree of historical sensitivity. This allows them to present the nineteenth century in an entirely novel light. For all these reasons, Before Colonization is a must-read book for anyone interested in IR theory, historical IR, state systems, sovereignty, and international order. -- Ayse Zarakol, professor of international relations, University of Cambridge Critics of mainstream international relations rightly accuse it of Eurocentrism, yet such criticism usually provides little evidence. By providing pioneering new data and thought-provoking analysis of non-European state systems, Before Colonization constitutes a scholarly breakthrough that not only advances our knowledge of precolonial states and their relations but also sheds fresh light on debates about today’s state system. -- Lars-Erik Cederman, professor of international conflict leadership, ETH Zürich

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Charles R. Butcher is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. His research focuses on the legacies of historical states and state systems, democratization, and civil resistance. Ryan D. Griffiths is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. His books include Secession and the Sovereignty Game: Strategy and Tactics for Aspiring Nations (2021).

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